car wont start..... could be well simple, but im thick.

wos sittin in my mota yesterday, listenin to some tunes, and suddenly the sub started spittin, i turned it down, and suddenly it all went quiet.
the head unit reset itself and came back on. i turned it off and tried to start the car.
and it just ticked. a literal ticking. not firing. a tapping.

any ideas? i havent a clue, could be well simple, but as i say im not the biggest boff when it comes to things like this.

Your battery is flat. The ticking is the solenoid trying to fire the starter motor, there's not enough power to turn it, and it cuts the power to the solenoid momentarily, on and on, tick, tick, tick....

Get it slow charged, or jump start it and go for an hours drive. But have it checked asap, alot of car batteries don't like being fully discharged.

thats makes a lot of sense, cos the battery has been dodgy since the day i got the car.

but i was always under the impression, it turns over, just dont fire if the battery is flat, or is that when its low???

since i aint passed my test yet, the car gets a couple of hours drivin a week, but hasnt as much recently due to knackered carb. ive got another battery in my shed, ill stuff that in there now and c if it works.
cheers.

If you've got a starter motor that needs 100 amps to turn say, 110 amps out of the battery leaves 10 amps for a spark, which will start the car. 90 amps out of the battery will turn the motor, but very slowly, and nothing left for the spark. 10 amps out of the battery will not permit the starter motor to turn. If your radio is cutting out, that runs on about 2 amps, which is more than your current battery output.

The numbers may be off a bit, but you should follow what I'm getting at!!

ive now shoved my other battery in it. and it starts, struggles for a minute, and where b4 after a push of the accelerator it would survive, it now dies. i believe my carb can now officially RIP unless u can think of anything else related?

i turn the key, the car just about starts with a push of the accel, and it proceeds to idle higher and higher til about 2800rpm while emmittin bucket loads of smoke out the zorst. then when i drive around for about 20mins, it goes down to normal, and starts fine after that. but if i leave it for a couple of hours, and start it, it does the same as the first time.

now i start it, and where it would orig just start, it stalls.

its a 1.4sr with the standard pierburg carb.

ive had a mech look at it, and he sed my carb was just generally worn.

no, lol i mean b4 this battery thing the car would still drive. after 20mins it was fine. but since i put a differennt battery in it hasnt started properly. someone sed that could still be related to a poor battery or alternator or sumthin..

im buyin a set of weber twin 40 DCOE's but he dont get back off holiday til January 6th ish. but my car wont start now! so i need to sort it sooner than i can get the 40s. i might just leave it, and wait for the 40s, cos i really really really want em

well.. If the car wont start with the starter engine.. Does the starter engine turn the engine?? Or does it click?? If it clicks, then you can try push starting it. It will work unless the battery is 100% dead.

Could be the charger. Alternator or whatever you call it.. Or the belt that runs it..

it starts, just, then struggles and stalls almost immediately. maybe as if its firing, but not enuff or sumthin so it dont catch properly. i honestly dont know. the battery thats in it now is quite an old one and the other is very old. so i think ill treat myself to a nice new battery. will see if it still makes a fuss then.

yep i have a diesel battery on my vecrta and it starts good , I can lisen to my stereo for 45min's at full volume, sub a pounding and it will start first time, mine is a 1.7 diesel battery from a cavalier £75 i think, but well worth it.